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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29968503">Maybe Now It’s Time I Bite Your Tongue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/dasfreefree/pseuds/dasfreefree'>dasfreefree</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Friends to Lovers, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Reader-Insert, Romance, because there will be smut in a later part, rating to go up</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-16 02:53:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29968503</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/dasfreefree/pseuds/dasfreefree</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Banri has been your best friend for as long as you can remember. You’ve also been in love with him for as long as you can remember. Somehow he doesn’t know, or maybe he does and isn’t doing anything about it.</p>
<p>Either way, you’re getting tired of his selfish antics. It isn’t until one night after one of his plays, something shifts in your relationship. You don’t know what it is, but you can only hope that it’s for the better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Settsu Banri/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Maybe Now It’s Time I Bite Your Tongue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wow, a fic title from a song lyric that <i>isn't</i> a Dessa lyric? Who am I? The title is a lyric from "Bite" by Fickle Friends.</p>
<p>This part takes place before Banri joins the Mankai Company.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Settsu Banri is not an early bird. Yet, he still finds himself on your couch at the crack of dawn. He props his head on his hand, elbow to the armrest and eyes threatening to close again. On the floor, you sit fiddling with your laptop and the TV as you attempt to get the larger monitor to display what’s on your laptop screen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he said he’d watch the Fashion Week livestreams with you, he didn’t mean actually watching them </span>
  <em>
    <span>live</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just watching them archived later for viewing. He was interested in fashion enough to appreciate the runway shows and take notes on some potential new digs to pick up, but nowhere near the same level you were. Somehow, you managed to convince him to travel the long distance of one house over at six in the morning on a weekend for a little watch party. Just the two of you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Got it!” you proclaim when the TV finally displays the video feed from your laptop. You take your place next to him on the couch. He doesn’t move at or even seem to be moved by anything coming down the runway. It’s quite the contrast to the way your face lights up as the models make their way towards the camera. You scribble away in your notebook, taking notes and quickly sketching very rough designs.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At some point, Banri falls back asleep. He’s a quiet sleeper, and you fail to realize it until sometime later when he fails to make any comments the whole show. You place your notebook on the coffee table before taking action.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” you call, prodding his thigh with your foot. “Wake up, will you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He groans in response, turning away from you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember: you chose to come over.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He groans again. “Yeah, and my sister would have never shut up about it if I didn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Having his sister on your side was a bonus. Maybe she had picked up that you were in love with her brother, or maybe she didn’t and was rooting for the two of you anyway. It’s still nice to know that she’s using her power for good.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You lean forward with a pout on your lips and blink innocently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s with that stupid face?” Banri laughs. He crosses his arms over his chest and eyes you with amusement. Usually, you’re all sass with him when he doesn’t do what you want. Using your cute looks to sway him has never really been your style before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please stay awake and watch with me?” You even clasp your hands together for good measure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cutesy façade quickly fades from your face and you roll your head back in frustration. Just as he suspected. “Ugh, you leave me no choice then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In his moment of smugness, Banri nearly misses how you quickly your hands move towards him. “Nearly” being the keyword. As you wiggle them closer to him, he snatches your hands before they can even reach their target.  Banri--while lean and modelesque--is still more muscle than you are. Maybe you forgot the part where he’s been picking fights and winning them against punks at school, at other schools. He overtakes you with ease. Your back is now pressed firmly to the seat while he hovers over you. Your hands are interlocked with his about midway between your bodies, your arms quivering despite your intention to win. He clenches his teeth behind a haughty smile. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It hurts. Not the playfighting with him, or even how attractive he is even when bearing a shit-eating grin. No, it’s the part that this is nothing more to him than friends goofing off. He’s not going to be hit with the realization of your positions. He’s not going to relax his face, half-lid his eyes, and kiss you. Your heart can ache for that all you want, but it will never happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And it doesn’t. Instead, he says, “Ya really thought you could best me that, easily, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You turn away from him and put on another pout. “Fine. You win.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought.” As he returns upright, he lets out a chuckle. You also return to a seated position, eyes still fixated on him. You thought the bratty attitude would be enough to mask the disappointment that’s settling into your stomach, but even you're aware of how somber the mood suddenly is around you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Banri’s grin dissipates when he looks back at you. Even when he wins fair and square, seeing you in a funk is one of his weird Achilles’s Heel. He sighs and rubs the back of his neck, “Alright. I’ll try to stay up and watch. But we gotta play that new fighting video game after then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>You hate those types of games: it all seems like button-mashing for a lucky shot to you and you never win whether or not Banri is your opponent. However, if he’s willing to stay awake for the next shows, maybe--just maybe--you can tolerate a couple of rounds against him.</span>
</p>
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